“Best Cruise in Four Years!”

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“Best Cruise in Four Years!”

"Seriously," grinned our ecstatic skipper, Steve, "It was the BEST CRUISE EVER! I don't see how a Whale Watching Cruise could get any better- unless a whale actually jumped right onto the boat. It was incredible!" Wow- this morning's cruise at Whales in Paradise was one for the books and absolutely action packed! As soon as our luxury catamaran arrived out in open water, we witnessed an incredible 'courtship battle.' We viewed a very active pod of 8 - 10 GIANT HUMPBACKS, three of which were engaged in what appeared to be a complicated whale love triangle.... Two males were at seemingly at war over one large Humpback Female. The two males were chasing the female while simultaneously fighting with each other. It's no wonder the Humpback males end up with so many scars. Our amazed passengers looked on as one of the male Humpback contenders (described as 'a big, scratchy guy' by crew ; -) literally power breached out of the water to cut off his competition. It was a spectacular sight. While we were lucky to actually witness this today, courtship rituals such as these are a common occurrence along the Gold Coast during the winter months. Competition for a mate is usually fierce. Groups of males of two to twenty in number typically gather around a single female and exhibit a variety of behaviours in order to establish dominance. After the initial battle, our passengers at Whales in Paradise witnessed all sorts of amazing Whale courtship techniques such as breaching, spy-hopping, lob-tailing and tail-slapping. These determined displays can last up to several hours. The numbers of Humpbacks in the pod increases and decreases as unsuccessful suitors retreat and others arrive to try their luck. We aren't sure who ened up winning over the female humpback but we hope it works out for them both! See you back out on the water for more whale tales tomorrow! Photo Credit: Love My Desktop..